332 APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
on Captain Thomas’ part, ordered his seamen to break open the cabin lockers and 
find what the Captain refused to give up. ‘The papers were found, and Lieutenant 
Tuttle took possession of them, refusing to Captain Thomas’ repeated demands to 
return them. An American sailor named John Hawkins was then left aboard by the 
Commander of the “Rush,” who informed Captain Thomas that he and his mate 
were under arrest, that the schooner was to be taken to Sitka, that the crew were 
not to be detained; but that the vessel was to be delivered over to the United States 
Collector of the Port of Sitka, who would take whatever further action should be 
thought necessary by the American authorities. Written instructions to this effect 
were given to Hawkins, and, after a thorough search of the schooner, Lieutenant 
Tuttle, with his officers and men, departed, and shortly afterward the ‘ Rush” 
steamed off toward some other vessels in sight. Captain Thomas said nothing to 
Hawkins, but putting up the port helm headed toward the Alaskan shore. Four 
days later the “Rush” was passed by the ‘‘Black Diamond,” but did not hail her; 
the schooner was headed in the proper direction, and there was no necessity for 
speaking to each other. But the next day the “‘ Black Diamond” reached the har- 
bour of Ounalaska, in the island of that name, forming one of the Fox Islands in 
the Aleutian group, and went inside in the hope of finding there an English man-of- 
war. The place was deserted however, except by natives, so Captain Thomas, with- 
out any ado, turned his vessel about, heading for the passage leading into the 
Pacific Ocean, and, reaching that, headed straight for Victoria, where he arrived 
299 as described above. Captain Thomas said he wasn’t going to let any one 
Yankee sailor take him captive into Sitka, and, as seaman Hawkins appears to 
have had very little to say about the matter after the “Rush” departed, the Cana- 
dian kept his determination. 
There was no violence on the ‘Black Diamond.” Hawkins, as soon as he saw that 
Captain Thomas didn’t intend to sail the schooner into Sitka, seems to have made 
some sort of a protest, inetfectual, of course, and then settled down to a realization 
of the truth of saying that ‘“‘there’s many a slip ’twixt the cup and the lip.” He 
was quite hopeful, when he came ashore to-day, that he wouldn’t be swung from a 
yard arm for not obeying orders. In the face of his predicament he was in fact 
remarkably cheerful. He proceeded at once to the American Consulate, where, 
handing over his instructions to the United States Consul, he made a statement of 
what happened, as he saw it, since the ‘‘Rush” parted with him. His history of the 
affair has been telegraphed to the authorities at Washington. The utmost satisfac- 
tion is felt here at the escape of the “Black Diamond,” particularly among the 
sealers and the owners of sealing-vessels, and Captain Thomas is being made a lion 
of for his conduct in the matter. 
{Inclosure 6 in No. 211.] 
Extract from the ‘‘ Ottawa Citizen” of August 6, 1889. 
Is 1T A BACKDOWN ? 
Washington, District of Columbia, 5th August.—[Special.]—In some quarters the 
running away of the “Black Diamond” is looked upon as nothing more or less than 
a surrender of the position taken by the United States on the Behring’s Sea ques- 
tion. It was so stated this morning by an ex-officiai of the Government, and, upon 
my asking for his reason for such a view, he simply referred to the course pursued 
by the Treasury and State Departments in 1888 as a sufficient answer. According to 
his theory, the seizure of the ‘Black Diamond” was all for effect, and her arrival at 
a British port was nothing more nor less than what was expected. The Treasury 
people with whom I conversed on the subject scouted this position as most absurd. 
They state that Captain Shepard was carrying out his instructions, and would never 
have seized the ‘‘ Black Diamond” unless he was convinced that the laws of this Gov- 
ernment on the fur-seal matter had been openly and unquestionably violated. Full 
particulars by mail are to reach the Treasury Department not later than Wedues- 
day next. Captain Shepard will explain the seizure of the ‘Black Diamond,” and 
this, the Treasury people say, will fully explain his action on breaking open the 
cabin and taking possession of the ship’s papers. The action of Captain Shepard 
has given rise to considerable comment in official circles. One of the gentlemen 
with whom I talked, and who is well informed, said the ‘‘Black Diamond” will be 
seized the first time she appears in American water for this same offence, but it will 
be along time before the opportunity for such a seizure occurs, and there is no law 
by which the case can be reached otherwise. The vessel was seized and got away, 
and that is the whole story in anut shell. The British Chargé d’Affaires has not 
received any information as yet regarding this new development in Belring’s Sea. 
